


A Love Worth Fighting For

by Captain_America_Black_Widow



Series: Enduring Love [2]
Category: Avengers (Comics), Captain America (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst with a Happy Ending, Engagement, F/M, Past Relationship(s), Tough Times, Trouble, Wedding, romanogers - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-22
Updated: 2019-07-02
Packaged: 2019-08-27 10:50:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 13,458
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16701079
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Captain_America_Black_Widow/pseuds/Captain_America_Black_Widow
Summary: Everything seems to be perfect in Steve, Natasha, and Livy's life right now. Steve and Natasha have been happily dating for six months, and Steve is about to take their relationship to the next step. What happens when Clint comes to Natasha with some bad news followed by more bad news? Natasha's nightmare is coming true. Her past is hunting her down. Will the love Steve has for her be enough for her to lean on at a time like this? If this doesn't seem to be enough to deal with, what happens when someone from Steve's past shows up again? Will they be able to fight for their love or will it all come crashing down?Sequel to Finding Love Again





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> If you haven't read Finding Love Again, please do before reading this story.

Natasha woke up to Steve caressing and lightly kissing her face. It was one of those rare Saturday mornings that Steve and she had to themselves. She slowly opened her eyes and was met by the ocean blue eyes of the man she loved.

“Good morning,” Steve greeted in that morning voice she had always loved.

She sleepily smiled. “Good morning,” she replied.

Steve leaned down and kissed her. Once he pulled away, he said, “I could get used to this.”

Natasha giggled. “You know, you’ve said that every morning since I moved in with you.”

“Don’t tell me you don’t love hearing it.”

Natasha looked down to hide her blush. They had been dating for half a year already, and he still managed to make her blush.

Steve got up from the bed and put on some clothes. “I’m going to go make breakfast now. You take your time getting ready for the day.”

“Please stay in bed a little while longer with me,” Natasha pouted.

“You know I would love to stay in bed with you, but we both know where that would lead, and we have to pick up Livy from Wanda’s house so that we can go to the Barton’s. I don’t want to be late and have to come up with a good excuse for the reason why we were.”

Natasha smirked. “I would love to see you coming up with an excuse. I’m sure everyone would believe it.”

Steve smiled and shook his head. “We both know that I’m a horrible liar, and I’m sure everyone else does too, so I wouldn’t be able to pull it off. Anyway, I’ll go down to start on breakfast.”

Natasha sighed and nodded before watching Steve go out the door of their bedroom. She couldn’t believe that it was actually their bedroom now. Steve had asked her about a month ago if she would like to move in since she practically already lived there, and she had obviously accepted. It had now been two weeks since she finally moved all her stuff in. She couldn’t help but remember the time she entered on Christmas Eve to get Livy out of there. It felt wrong to walk in uninvited since it wasn’t her space, but now, it felt more than comfortable. Everything that had happened for the past six months had felt comfortable. After accepting to be Steve's girlfriend at exactly midnight of the New Year, their whole relationship changed, not in a bad way though. Steve became sweeter and more attentive if that was even possible. She would find herself waiting to see Steve when he would drop off Livy at her ballet lessons and at the end of her workday when they had dinner plans. In contrast to how Alexei would treat her, Steve treated her wonderfully with so much love and respect.

And she would always treasure the memory of when Steve and she told Livy the news that they were dating. Livy’s face was priceless. As she thought of the day, it seemed like it had happened the day before.

_It was a lovely Saturday, and Natasha had spent the day with Livy since Steve had to go into work. They had plans to meet up with him at Longhorn Steakhouse for dinner which was where they were now going. Natasha was getting excited to tell Livy that Steve and she were dating. She couldn’t wait to see her reaction to the news knowing that it would be a very positive one._

_The dinner went by smoothly as always, and once they were finished and were sharing a dessert, Steve looked at Natasha to signal it was time to tell Livy._

_**“Livy, we have some news for you,”** Steve had said which immediately caught Livy’s attention._

_**“What, daddy?”**_ _she asked eagerly._

_**“Well, Miss Nat and I are dating now.”** _

_Livy’s face broke out in a wide smile upon hearing the news, and she squealed. **“You’re going to be my new mommy?”**_

_Natasha smiled at her. **“If all goes well, then yes, I will, but for now, let’s just focus on one thing at a time.”**_

_Livy nodded her head in agreement. For the rest of the evening, Livy had not stopped smiling, and she was full of life._

She got up from the bed and went to go take a quick shower. Once done, she went to the walk-in closet that now held both Steve’s and her clothes. As she was looking for something to wear, her eyes fell on her Valentine’s Day dress. She smiled as she remembered that day.

_She had honestly thought that Steve had forgotten what day it was, and she didn’t blame him since he had a lot of work the past few weeks. She decided to let it go and just make a special dinner for him at her apartment. Around 4 P.M., Wanda came to see her, and she looked as if she was in a hurry._

_**“Cancel all your remaining classes. I need you to come with me,”** she had said with much urgency in her voice._

_**“Whatever is the matter?”** Natasha had asked her._

_**“Nothing! But if we don’t get going, you’re going to be late,”** was her response._

_**“Exactly what am I going to be late for?”** Natasha had been so confused._

**_“It’s a surprise, but I have orders to buy you a new dress and get you ready by 7 P.M.”_ **

_Natasha did not know what to think, but she went along with Wanda. She had an idea that Steve was planning something, but she didn’t rule out that Tony might have had another party planned and was forcing Steve to go. But if that were the case, he should have just told her. Shopping for a dress was not all that difficult because she had recently seen one she wanted. Wanda had taken Natasha to her apartment and told her to take a nice long relaxing bath because there was still a little bit of time to spare. An hour before the appointed time, Wanda told her to put on her dress before she did her hair and makeup. The hour passed rather quickly, and soon, a knock was heard on the door. Wanda was the one to open the door, and Livy gave her a huge hug. Natasha had come out of Wanda’s room to see who had arrived. When Livy saw her, she ran to her and gave her a hug._

**_“You look very pretty, Miss Nat,”_ ** _she had complimented._

**_“Aw, thank you! You don’t happen to know what’s going on, do you?”_ **

_Livy had shaken her head and pretended to zip her mouth, lock it, and throw the key away which was a first._

_Wanda then told Natasha that someone was at the door for her, and she knew that it was the cue to leave. She grabbed her clutch bag and coat and made her way to the door. Wanda had already gone to play with Livy. Upon getting to the door, she was met with a dashing looking Steve holding a bouquet of red roses and a box of chocolates. Even though she isn’t much for receiving flowers, the sweet gesture touched her heart._

_**“These are for you,”**_ _Steve had said as he gave them to her._

 _Natasha took the bouquet and the chocolate. For some reason, it made her emotional, and she felt herself get teary-eyed._ **_“Thank you, Steve! That is so sweet of you!”_**

 _Steve noticed her glassy eyes, and he thought that it was because she had thought he forgot._ _**“I’m sorry for making you think that I forgot what day it is, but I wanted to surprise you,”**_ _he had apologized._

**_“Oh, don’t worry about it. I knew that you had been busy, but you haven’t celebrated the day in a while, so I’ll let it slide.”_ **

**_“Then why are you teary-eyed?”_ **

**_“Oh, that. I swear it’s all your fault. Ever since we started dating, I have become much more emotional than I used to be. These are happy tears, not sad ones.”_ **

_Steve had breathed a sigh of relief when he heard that, and he was much more relaxed._

_The evening was perfect. Steve had made reservations at Olive Garden. He apparently asked for privacy because no other couples or families sat in their area. They ate by candlelight which made things more romantic. She couldn’t have asked for a more perfect night. Once they were done, Steve took her back to his house where he popped a bottle of champagne, and they both stayed up talking about anything that came to their minds. After a couple of glasses, Steve got up and set up his record player, and they danced to some slow 40s music. In the last song, the sexual tension in the room was so thick. They both knew started leaning into each other and their lips finally met. Let’s just say things escalated from there. Steve, ever the gentleman, had asked her if she really wanted it that night, and she said yes without a shadow of a doubt. For her, it was the perfect ending to a perfect night._

Natasha was absentmindedly brushing her hair as the memories faded. She hadn’t noticed that Steve had walked into the room because of how lost in her thoughts she was.

“Hey, Love, breakfast’s ready,” Steve announced.

Natasha turned towards the door a bit startled. “How long have you been standing there?”

“Long enough to admire you. Were you thinking about me because I don’t know anyone else that can make you smile that wide.”

“Oh you wish I was, but I was actually thinking about Livy,” Natasha teased.

“That’s just cruel,” Steve said mockingly.

“Aw, did I hurt your feelings?”

“Just a little bit. But I know something that will make me feel better,” he said as he walked towards her.

“Oh?” she asked with a raised eyebrow. “Whatever could that be?”

Steve was now behind her and had wrapped his arms around her waist. “I think you know exactly what I mean,” he huskily replied near her ear.

His warm breath on her neck caused desire to course through her body, but she knew better than to give in at this time. Besides, she wanted to give him a taste of his own medicine. She turned around in his arms and started to lean in towards his lips. They almost touched his before she pulled away. “I’m hungry, so I’m going to go downstairs now and eat whatever you fixed for breakfast.”

Steve stands there dumbfounded. He honestly thought he was going to get what he wanted, but I guess he would have to wait until later.

Natasha reappeared in the doorway. “Aren’t you going to join me?” she asked.

He nodded and followed her out.

After their quick breakfast, which had consisted of scrambled eggs, toast, and fruit, they headed to Wanda’s house to pick up Livy to go to the Barton’s. It didn’t take them long to get to Wanda’s house since there wasn’t much traffic. They soon found themselves ringing the doorbell to Wanda’s apartment.

The patter of little feet and the steps of an older person were heard on the other side of the door. The door opened and Livy jumped right onto Steve. Thanks to his quick reflexes, he was able to catch her. “Hey, Princess!” he greeted.

“Hi, Daddy!” she returned the greeting before giving him a kiss on his cheek. “Hi, Miss Nat!”

“Hello, Livy. Were you good for your Aunt Wanda?”

Livy nodded her head, and both Steve and Natasha turned to Wanda for confirmation.

She smiled and rolled her eyes. “I’ve told you both before, she’s a little angel. But if you really must know, she was on her best behavior the whole time.”

“That’s nice to hear,” said Steve. “Well, Wanda, thank you so much for taking care of Livy last night.”

“Oh, you don’t have to thank me. I always love spending time with this little one. I am so rude for keeping you three out here. Won’t you come in for a bit?”

“Thank you for the invitation, but we really need to get going. It’s a bit of a drive to Clint’s house, and we don’t want to be late.”

“Oh, don’t worry about it. I’ll just have to invite you three over here for dinner. It’s been a couple of weeks since we’ve done that, and I’m sure Bucky would love to see you both again since you all are so busy with your jobs.”

“Yeah, that’s a good thing and a bad thing. We haven’t really been able to spend time with friends and family because of it.”

“Yeah, my friend Maria called me the other day to ask if I was still alive. It’s been forever since I’ve seen her!” Natasha put in.

“Well, you two will just have to make a little bit of time. At least you, Natasha, are your own boss. And Steve, you know Dan will give you a day off if you ask for it. I don’t know why you two don’t have more time.”

Steve and Natasha laughed. “Well, we really need to get going. And let us know when you want to hang out, and we’ll put it in our agendas,” Steve told her.

“All righty! I’ll talk to Bucky. Well, drive safe.”

“I will! Don’t worry,” he answered before following Natasha down the stairs and to the car.

Once at the car, Steve unlocked it, buckled Livy into her car seat while Natasha turned on the A/C, and they were soon on their way.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Before you start reading, you might want to get some tissues, you may need them.

The drive to the Barton’s was shorter than usual because there wasn’t much traffic, but it was still long enough for Livy to fall asleep. Natasha was dozing off as well as she watched the countryside roll past and felt as Steve’s hand on hers would occasionally lightly trace circles on it. Before she knew it, they were pulling into the Barton’s driveway. She kept her eyes closed a minute longer as Steve parked the car.

“Hey, Sweetie, we’re here,” he whispered softly to her.

“I know, I just wanted to rest my eyes a minute longer,” she mumbled.

Steve grinned. “Well, I’m going to unbuckle Livy from her booster and wake her up. If you still want to rest those pretty eyes of yours, you can wait until I take Livy out of the car before you get out as well.”

Natasha opened her eyes. “Sounds tempting, but I can’t walk in there looking like a zombie, and I need to fic my hair since the wind messed it up.”

“Your hair looks like it did when we left the house,” Steve pointed out.

Natasha rolled her eyes. “I can see it myself in the mirror, and it most certainly does not.”

“Ok, maybe it doesn’t look exactly like when we left the house, but I say you still look beautiful.”

Natasha swatted at his arm. “You’re making me blush again!”

Steve laughed. “You do know that I love seeing your cheeks get all red, right?”

That comment made Natasha blush even more. “Stop it! I’m going to look like a tomato when I walk in!”

“Yeah, my tomato,” Steve remarked.

Natasha swatted at his arm again. “How about you go to the back and start waking up Livy. I’m sure she’s going to want to play with Lila when she gets in.”

Steve got out with the grin still on his face and opened the back door. He quietly started to wake up Livy as he unbuckled the seatbelt of her booster. Natasha smiled as she watched through the mirror while fixing her hair. She had always loved seeing Steve’s fatherly side come out, and especially more now that they were together.

It took some prodding from Steve’s part to wake Livy, but she finally did. She rubbed her eyes and yawned. When she realized that they were at the Barton’s, her eyes sparkled with excitement. Steve picks her up in his arms, but as soon as he does, she starts squirming to get down. Noticing that he wasn’t releasing his grip, she said in her groggy voice, “Daddy, I want down.”

“You just woke up, Princess, and I don’t want you to fall.”

“Please, Daddy?” she asked giving him her puppy eyes.

Natasha laughed knowing Steve couldn’t say no to those eyes. “You’re in trouble now, Steve.”

“I know. A little help would be appreciated.”

Natasha walked to that side of the car and looked at Livy. “Sweetie, I think you should let your daddy carry you to the house, and once we’re inside, you can run off and play with Lila,” she suggested.

Livy sighed a little. “Ok, but you promise I can get down when I get inside?”

“Yes, I promise.”

“Well, now that that’s settled, let’s head to the house,” said Steve.

Natasha slipped her hand into Steve’s free one, and they made their way to the front door. Once there, they knocked on the door and not even ten seconds later, it opened.

“Took you guys long enough. I’m pretty sure you have been in that driveway for five minutes already,” Laura commented with a knowing smile.

“Sorry about that. My two girls fell asleep on the way here, and I had to wake them up,” Steve said.

“I didn’t fall asleep. I was just dozing off, but I was aware of what was going on,” Natasha defended herself.

“Right, one fell asleep while the other was dozing off,” Steve corrected himself.

Laura smiled. “Well, come on in. Clint isn’t home yet. He called to say that he would be back a little later than usual. I think he said that something came up at the station that needed looking into.” She turned to Livy, “As for the kids, they’re upstairs in their rooms. They’re cleaning them a bit since they ‘forgot’ to do that yesterday. They’ll be down soon though.”

Livy nodded. “Can I get down now, Daddy? We’re inside.”

“Oh, that’s right. We are inside already,” Steve said as he let her down. “But you have to wait for Lila and Cooper down here, ok?”

“Yes, Daddy.”

All three of them followed Laura into the kitchen where she had started working on lunch. “Laura, what can I help you with?” asked Natasha as she made her way to the sink to wash her hands.

“Nothing. You just sit down and relax. I know that both of you have been very busy. Besides, you are the guest. You shouldn’t be helping out,” Laura explained.

“I can’t just sit down and do nothing,” Natasha contradicted.

“You won’t be doing nothing; you’ll be talking with me.”

“I suggest you do as Laura says, Sweetheart. She’s serious when she says she doesn’t want your help in the kitchen,” Steve said.

Natasha sagged her shoulders in defeat. “I know, I just want to help out in something.”

Laura laughed. “You’re helping me just fine sitting at the kitchen table with Steve keeping me company, don’t worry about that.”

At that moment, the patter of feet was heard on the stairway. Livy jumped down from her chair with a bright smile on her face as Lila entered the kitchen. The two girls ran to each other and wrapped themselves in a hug.

“You’re finally here!” Lila exclaimed. “I missed you so much!”

“I missed you too!” Livy answered.

“Do you want to go outside to play? We can play tag with Cooper.”

“Yes! And then we can play hide and seek!”

“That’s a great idea! Come one, let’s go.” Lila grabbed Livy’s hand, and they both ran outside to play.

Natasha sighed happily. “Have they always gotten along so well despite their age difference?”

“Oh, yes, they have. When Livy was born, Lila was elated by the idea of having a girl to play with soon. When Peggy died, Lila took it upon herself to spend more time with Livy, and she made a promise to herself to always be like a sister to her so that she wouldn’t feel lonely. So far, she has kept that promise,” Laura explained.

“That’s sweet. I’m glad that Lila is so kind to her.”

“Wait, Laura, I didn’t know about that promise Lila made to herself. Why didn’t Clint or you ever tell me anything?” Steve inquired.

“Well, for one, you were still grieving and quite frankly you were trying to get Livy to get used to you as well. You had a lot on your mind, and I guess once you were more settled, we forgot to tell you. I’m sorry for keeping that so long,” Laura replied.

“It’s ok. I’m not bothered, just kind of surprised I had never heard of that.”

“Both Clint and I were surprised as well when Lila told us her promise. We didn’t think she had developed such affection towards her, but apparently, she did.”

“It’s totally understandable though. Lila loves to be around people and is a very caring girl.”

“I agree with Steve. It was unbelievable how quickly Lila warmed up to me when we met. I will always remember how she would ask me what was wrong when she saw me sad and how she’d try to cheer me up,” added Natasha.

“Yes, that’s my little Lila all right,” they heard Clint’s voice say from the entrance of the kitchen.

The three of them turned to him with a slightly surprised expression on their faces because none of them had heard him walk in.

“Hey, Honey, how long have you been standing there?” Laura asked him.

“Not long. I only heard what Natasha just said. What are you three talking about?” Clint asked as he started taking a seat at the kitchen table.

Laura raised her eyebrow. “Well, about how well Lila and Livy get along. Aren’t you forgetting something?”

Clint furrowed his eyebrows. “Hmm, no, I don’t think so. I already went to wash my hands.”

Laura and Natasha looked at each other and shook their heads.

“What? What did I forget to do?” he asked clearly confused.

Steve chuckled. “I think what Laura is referring to is greeting everyone since you just got home, but she’s specifically referring to her hello kiss.”

“Oh, right! How could I forget about that?” He stood up and walked to Laura. “I’m sorry, Honey. Will you please forgive me?”

Natasha burst out laughing, and Laura lips curved up in a small smile.

“Ok, what now? You two ladies are like communicating with your eyes. I don’t understand what’s going on. Do you, Steve?”

“Can’t say that I do. I can’t communicate the same way they do, so I know as much as you.”

“Oh, Clint, you’re hilarious, you know that? We both know you didn’t actually forget. You were just fooling around,” Natasha said as her laughter subsided.

Laura nodded her head. “Yes, Dear, I know you would never forget that. Now, get over here and kiss me.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Clint gave Laura her kiss and then went to properly greet Steve and Natasha. “I’m so glad that you two were finally able to make it out here to spend some time with us. It feels like we haven’t seen each other in ages. What’s new in Brooklyn?”

“Well, not much is new. Everything is basically the same,” Natasha answered.

“What Natasha means to say is that there is one major thing that has happened,” Steve cut in.

“Oh, is there?” Clint asked with much intrigue.

“Yes, there is. Natasha has been invited to star as the lead ballerina in _Giselle_ with the New York City Ballet. It’s a two-day show set to take place sometime in November, and you won’t want to miss it,” announced Steve.

“Really, Tasha? That’s amazing! Congratulations!” exclaimed Clint.

Natasha blushed slightly. “It’s really not that big of a deal.”

“Nat, it is a big deal. It’s ok to feel proud of your accomplishment,” Laura told her.

“Yeah, not everyone gets invited to star as the lead dancer in the New York City Ballet,” Clint pointed out. “How did you do it anyway?”

“I don’t know. I just got a letter in the mail saying that I was chosen to star as the lead female dancer in the performance of _Giselle_ they’ll be presenting in November. They wanted me to confirm or decline by a certain date, so I thought about it for a couple of days, asked for Steve’s advice, and accepted,” she nonchalantly explained.

“Hmm, maybe a scout went to one of your performances that you presented with your students and saw how talented you are,” suggested Laura.

“That’s what I told her. I also told her that someone might have recommended her for the role, like one of the parents or one of the kids’ family members that attended one of the performances,” Steve said.

“Well, however it happened doesn’t really matter. What matters is that she got the part. Isn’t that right?” Clint asked.

“Yeah, you’re right. I just hope I am the one for that part, and they didn’t choose the wrong person,” said Natasha in a doubtful voice.

“You’ll do fine, Sweetheart. You’re an amazing dancer! You feel the music, and that alone makes you a better dancer than anyone out there,” encouraged Steve.

“Yeah, Tasha, listen to your boyfriend. He has a point,” Clint said.

“How about we continue this outside? The food is ready. Clint, Honey, can you help me take everything outside?”

“Yes, ma’am.” Clint grabbed the salad bowl and headed outside to set it on the table.

“Now, Laura, what can I help with?” Natasha asked again.

“Well, you can go outside and tell the kids to come in and wash up to eat,” Laura suggested.

“Come on, Laura, Steve can do that. What can I do to help in here?”

Laura laughed. “How many times do I have to tell you that you’re the guest and don’t have to do anything?”

“I know, but I want to help. You always let me help when I come.”

“Yes, I know, but this time, you’re here to relax, so no helping for you today. Just enjoy your free day without having to worry about preparing your next ballet lesson. So, Steve and you go on ahead and call the kids while Clint and I finish taking things outside to the picnic table.”

“Come on, Sweetie, let’s go call in the kids,” Steve said while ushering her out the back door.

Clint came back in as Steve and Natasha were heading out. Once he had closed the door, Laura turned around to face him, “Ok, Clint, what’s bothering you?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, honey,” he replied as he started grabbing the plates to take outside.

Laura put her hand over them. “Clint, you know you can’t keep anything from me. I know when something is bothering you. Does it have to do with you staying at work for a little extra time?”

Clint sighed. “Yes, it does.” He opened his mouth to say more but closed it again.

“You know you can tell me anything,” Laura reassured with a soft smile.

“I just wish this wouldn’t have surfaced,” he simply said.

“What surfaced?”

“An anonymous person sent an e-mail with a legal document showing that Alexei and Natasha are still married. It was dated one week ago The worst part is that whoever sent that e-mail wrote ‘BEWARE.’” That’s all it said. I hate to break it to Natasha and Steve on a day like this where it’s supposed to be a day of relaxation, but they need to be more cautious while we figure this out.” He hung his head and sighed in defeat.

“Who needs to be more cautious?” asked Natasha from the doorway with fear plastered on her face.

“I’m sorry, Clint, I told her not to come in when we saw from the window that Laura and you were having a private conversation,” apologized Steve.

“Clint? Please tell me,” Natasha said in a dangerously low voice.

“Nat, it would be better if I told you after we spend the day together. It’s nothing for you to worry about now,” Clint told her while trying to sport a smile on his face.

“Clint, tell me.”

“Sweetie, you heard Clint. Let’s just enjoy the time we have with the Bartons. Then he can tell you,” Steve said a bit pleadingly.

She turned to Steve. “No, I need him to tell me now.” She turned back to Clint. “It has to do with Alexei, doesn’t it?”

“Nat, it would really be much better if we saved this conversation for later,” Laura told her softly. “We don’t want you to get worked up about it just yet.”

Natasha kept her gaze on Clint. Her stare was both menacing and pleading. “Clint, please, tell me now.”

Clint looked from Laura to Steve and back to Laura. Both of them nodded slightly to go on ahead and tell her. He sucked in a breath and let it out slowly. “Well, a slight problem has risen. The reason I came home late today is because something was brought to my attention before leaving work. We received an anonymous e-mail with what appears to be a legal marriage certificate that was that was delivered about a week ago.” Clint paused.

“Go on,” Natasha said in the same dangerous, low voice from earlier.

“Alexei and you are still married, Natasha,” Clint said slowly.

Natasha’s eyes widened. “No! That can’t be possible! He signed the divorce papers!”

“Well, we can’t know for sure if he did or not since he was in jail when that happened.”

“But he sent the papers to the judge! You told me yourself, Clint! No, it’s totally fake! I’m not believing any of this,” Natasha said rather firmly.

“I’m sorry, Natasha, but I only told you what the prison ward told me. He confirmed he had signed and that the papers got sent to the judge and everything was finalized. He must have just stuffed the envelope with something and never actually put the papers inside. And well, we went through all the legal immigrant marriage records in New York and the surrounding areas after we found the e-mail, and it’s still marked in the system that you two are married….” Clint trailed off.

Natasha stumbled back and would have fallen on the hardwood floor of the deck if it weren’t for Steve’s quick reflexes. He caught her and held her up and started stroking her arm. Natasha was staring blankly in front of her and slowly said, “No, this, this can’t be happening.”

“That’s not the worst part though. The e-mail contained one word in the text. It said, ‘BEWARE.’”

Natasha turned around and buried her face in Steve’s arm. Her body started to shake slightly and quiet sobs started to escape her lips.

“I’m sorry, Natasha, that I had to tell you this. I wish this wouldn’t have happened. Maria and I will do everything in our power to clear this. If we can’t, we’ll go to Fury for help,” Clint started to reassure Natasha.

Steve’s eyes widened. “Fury? Wouldn’t that be considered a level…”

“Yes, it would,” Clint interrupted Steve’s thought so that Natasha wouldn’t hear the seriousness of the situation. “I hope this will all blow over in a few days. I’m going to call up my attorney and have him draw up divorce papers again, and this time I’ll go down to the prison and make sure Alexei signs those papers and give them to the judge myself so that there won’t be any more problems. For now, I need you two to be extra careful when you go out. Steve, if you can, drive Natasha to work and pick her up after she’s done. If she plans to eat out, stay with her. See anything suspicious, give me a call and either Maria or I will be right there. If there’s a day you can’t take her to work, call Maria or me, and we’ll do that. Once this blows over, you can go back to your normal routines, but right now, as the threat exists, I need you two to take extra precaution.”

“We will, Clint, don’t worry about that. I’d do anything to protect her,” Steve solemnly said.

“Believe me, I would too, but hopefully, it doesn’t get too serious. I’m sorry for ruining the day.”

“No, you didn’t, Clint. You had no idea that something like this would surface. I think I should get Natasha home and calm her down.”

“Yeah, go on ahead, we can reschedule this get together.”

“Yes, and I’ll give you some food to take home since there’s plenty. Also, Clint and I don’t mind it if you leave Livy here with us for the rest of the weekend. You two need time to process all of this,” Laura told him.

“Thanks, Laura, we really appreciate that,” Steve said with a bit of relief.

“Ok, I’ll put some food in a container while you take her to the car. I’ll take the stuff out to you.” Laura then started looking for a container to put the food in.

“And the kids?” Clint asked.

“They’re still outside. They said they wanted to eat later, so we let them play longer.”

“Ok, I’ll go out with them and leave you two alone for a bit.” Clint walked past him and towards the barn where he knew the kids would be playing.

Steve gently lifted up Natasha’s head so that he could look at her face. She had tear stains across her cheeks, but she was no longer crying. Instead, she had an unreadable expression on her face, one that Steve had never seen before. “Sweetie,” he said softly, “we’re going to go home now.”

Natasha slowly nodded her head.

“Natasha, honey, look at me,” Steve gently pleaded.

She turned her gaze toward him as her eyes started filling up with tears again.

“Everything is going to be all right, you hear me? I’m not going to let him harm you ever again. We’re going to get through this. Nothing is going to separate us. I promise you that I’ll take care of you and make sure you’re safe.”

Tears started streaming down Natasha’s cheeks. “Oh, Steve, I can’t put you through this, and I definitely can’t put Livy through it either. What if one of you gets hurt because of me?”

“No one is getting hurt, and you’re not putting us through this. We’re going to be with you every step of the way. Maria and Clint are going to do everything possible to eliminate this. We’re going to be all right.”

Natasha nodded and embraced him while starting to cry harder. “W-w-what d-did I do t-to des-erve you?”

“Oh, Nat, you only showed up in my life as Livy’s ballet teacher and the rest was destiny.”

Ten minutes later, they were in the car on the way back home. Livy was a bit saddened to see her beloved Miss Nat crying, but after Steve told her that she would be ok, she got happy again. The car ride back to the house was a silent one. Natasha kept a stoic face the whole ride, and her eyes never moved from looking out the window. She was at a loss. She didn’t know what to do or how to process any of it, so she did what she knew best, something she hadn’t done since meeting Steve, she shut out all her emotions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, we've already entered all the drama. I'll warn you that this is going to get worse before it gets better but bear with me. 
> 
> Hopefully, I'll be able to update while I'm on Christmas break. I have exams next week and then I'm free for 2 weeks, so I'll try to update at least once during that time. I think I've finally got the ball rolling a little bit more. I just hope that ideas will flow more freely now.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry about the long wait! I'll explain why at the end of the chapter. For now, I hope you enjoy this new chapter!

The minute Steve turned off the engine to the car Natasha stepped out of the car. She absentmindedly unlocked the door and went inside. She went straight to the bedroom, changed into comfortable clothes, and lay down on the bed. Steve walked in a couple of minutes after she had lain down and knelt down by the side of the bed she was facing. “Sweetie, are you all right?” he asked gently.

She didn’t respond but instead stared at the wall in front of her. She had the most unreadable face on, one that Steve had never seen, and he started to get a little worried.

“Nat, sweetie, talk to me. I need to know if you’re ok or if you’re scared or angry or what emotions you’re feeling right now.”

She turned her gaze towards Steve and said in the most expressionless voice, “I need to be alone now, Steve.” She turned around in bed and covered her face with a pillow.

Steve stared at her for a few seconds before standing up and walking towards the door. With one final glance at her, he walked out of the room. He felt like he was at a loss. He had no idea what to do, so he did what he the best thing he could think of. Grabbing his phone, he searched through his contacts list until he found the number he needed and dialed it. A few rings later, the person picked up. “Hello, Steve. What a surprise to see you calling me! Aren’t you at Barton’s house?”

“Hi, Maria. I know it is a bit surprising, and I am supposed to be at Barton’s, but the thing is that he gave us the bad news before we even had lunch, so it got ruined, and I brought Natasha home.”

Maria cursed under her breath. “I told Clint not to tell you guys until after your get together, but that friggin’ man just had to do the opposite!”

“It wasn’t his fault, Maria. He was talking about it to Laura, and Natasha heard the last bit of the conversation and forced him to tell her in that precise moment.”

“Ohh, I see. How is she doing?”

“I can’t really tell. That’s why I called you. I was wondering if maybe you could swing by later and talk to her, maybe figure her out. I can’t read any emotions on her face and her voice sounds a bit robotic.”

“I figured she’d get like that again.”

“Wait, what do you mean ‘again’?” Steve asked confused.

“Well, when Clint and I started to help her out, she wouldn’t let her emotions show at all. She’d keep a very straight face most of the time. Then, she began the process to open up her ballet school, and she finally started coming out of her shell and started smiling more, but right now, it seems we’re back on phase one.”

“I’ll do everything in my power to not let that happen again.”

“Thanks, Steve. As for coming by, yeah, I’ll be there in about an hour. I’ll try to talk to her and assure her everything is ok. For now, just leave her alone to process all the information.”

“But…”

“No, Steve, no buts. I know you want to help, but you won’t help any if you keep checking up on her every 10 minutes. Please, just let her have her space.”

Steve sighed in defeat. “All right.”

“I’ll see you in an hour.”

“Ok, I’ll be waiting.” With that, the other end of the line went dead. Steve dropped his arm to his side. Dejectedly, he walked downstairs and into the kitchen. He looked around and saw the breakfast dishes on the breakfast bar just as they had left them earlier that morning. He remembered how happy Natasha was, and now, not even 12 hours later, her mood had completely changed to a point he didn’t know who she was anymore. His heart cried out for her and shared her pain, but he couldn’t do anything to make her feel better, at least not in that moment. He shook his thoughts out of his head and cleared the breakfast bar. Once it was cleared, he proceeded to wash the dishes to distract himself and to help Natasha out a bit. After washing the dishes, he opened the fridge and took out white bread and strawberry jam and set them on the breakfast bar. He then went to the cupboard and took out the peanut butter. He made himself four sandwiches before putting everything away and serving himself a glass of milk. He picked up his plate and glass and walked to the living room. He set his plate and glass on the coffee table and sat down while grabbing the remote control to the tv. He turned it on and started surfing through the channels before he finally decided to watch The Game Plan. To be completely honest, he didn’t pay any attention to the movie. His thoughts kept going back to Natasha who still hadn’t come out of the room nor made any noise. He ate his lunch pretty quickly and just sat staring absentmindedly at the tv. He didn’t know how long he was like that before the doorbell rang and startled him. He quickly switched off the tv and went to open the door.

“Hi, Maria, thank you for coming,” Steve said once he opened the door. He stepped to the side and let her in.

“Hi, Steve. It’s no problem. I would have been here sooner, but I was finishing up an investigation. Where is she?”

“In our bedroom. She hasn’t come out nor has she made any noise, so I’m not sure if she’s asleep or not.”

Maria gave him a sad smile. “Well, I can assure you she isn’t sleeping. She’s probably just lying in bed staring blankly at the wall. Do you mind if I go up to see her now?”

“Please do. I need to know she’ll be fine.” Steve’s voice broke a little at the end while his face was etched with concern and his eyes were full of sadness.

“Don’t worry, Steve. She’ll be fine. I’ll talk to her and assure her that everything is under control and will be fixed as soon as possible. It may take her a little while to go back to normal, but she will. She has Livy, and most importantly, she has you. Once she remembers that, she’ll be back to her usual self.”

Steve nodded slowly.

“If you don’t mind, I’ll head up and talk to her now.”

“Go on ahead. I’ll be in my office.”

Maria made her way up the stairs while Steve entered his office and shut the door. As she approached the door to Steve and Natasha’s room, she slowed down her steps. Steve had been right, not a single noise came from that room. She lightly knocked on the door, and as expected, she received no answer. Carefully, she opened the door and peeked into the room. She saw Natasha lying down on the bed underneath the sheets facing the opposite direction. She quietly slipped in and carefully closed the door so that she wouldn’t wake Natasha up if she was asleep. Even though she was as quiet as possible, Natasha turned around in bed. “Oh, I thought you were Steve,” she mumbled.

“Well, I’m not. Do you want him to come up because I can call him?” Maria asked.

Natasha shook her head. “I don’t want to see him right now. I don’t want to talk to him either.”

“I figured that much, but you know you’ll have to speak to him sometime, right? He’s very worried about you.”

“Is that why he called you?”

Maria nodded. “I was going to swing by later anyway since I knew Barton would tell you eventually. I just didn’t think he would have told you so soon.”

Natasha sighed. “I should have listened to him when he said he’d tell me later.”

“You wouldn’t be Natasha if you wouldn’t have forced him to tell you,” Maria said trying to lighten the mood a little bit.

Natasha shrugged. “Come sit on the bed,” she said as she scooted over a bit.

Maria walked over and sat on the edge of the bed. “How are you holding up?”

“You already know. I’m sure Steve told you.”

“He did, but he told me how you were from his point of view. He’s not you, so I want to hear from you how you’re doing,” Maria said a bit sternly.

“Maria, how do you expect me to feel? Do you expect me to be fine with it and just move on with my life as if nothing has changed? Because if you do, that’s not the case,” Natasha said a little annoyed.

“No, I don’t expect you to go on oblivious to the fact that nothing has changed because something has changed. What I don’t want you to do is going back into your impossible-to-break turtle shell and cut everyone off from you and your life.”

“I’m not doing that! I just need some time away from Steve. I know he’s trying to help, but he doesn’t understand what I’m going through. That’s why I shut him out. And it would be better if I just leave their lives anyway because I’m just putting their lives in danger.”

“Stop right there. You think that shutting Steve out and leaving him and Livy is the best solution to all of that?”

“If it keeps them safe, then yes, I do.”

“Tasha, think about it, Steve will be distraught if you leave, disappear, without a trace. He loves you with his whole heart. He won’t have an easy time with you gone. Livy has grown attached to you, very attached. She sees you as her mother. You can’t abandon her. She could start thinking that she did something wrong, or you no longer like her. Then, there’s your ballet school. You’re just going to close it and leave? What are you going to explain to all those people you’re giving classes to? Your school is prospering, and your students are doing great at developing ballet skills. Where are they going to find a teacher as good as you?”

“Steve and Livy will get over it in time. I shouldn’t have let myself develop feelings for Steve and gotten attached to Livy because it does make it harder, but what’s done is done. As for my ballet class, I have someone in mind who can take over. I have yet to contact her, but I know she’ll say yes.”

Maria rolled her eyes. Natasha was clearly not thinking straight. “Do you hear what you’re saying? You’re speaking pure nonsense! Maybe Steve and Livy will get over it in time, but they’ll be scarred for life. From what I know about their history, they don’t deserve to be treated that way. And for your information, you’re safer staying with Steve than being alone. You’re making a big deal about nothing! Alexei has 8 years left in jail. By then, you two will be divorced. Barton will see to it that he actually signs it this time,” Maria reassured.

“What if he doesn’t want to?”

“It doesn’t matter if he wants to or not. He will have no other choice. Barton contacted the best law firm we know of in Manhattan, and they’re going to assign us their best lawyer. With a lawyer, a police detective, and policemen in the building, he can’t do anything but do what is asked of him.”

Natasha finally started to relax a little bit. Maria noticed and smiled knowing that she was finally getting through to her.

“Don’t worry about anything, girl. We’ve got you covered and won’t let anything happen to you. Stay here with Steve and Livy where you are safer. Take a week off if you want to.”

Natasha nodded. “I think I will, but I’m not going to cancel any classes.”

Maria looked at her confused. “What do you mean you’re going to take a break and not cancel any classes? How are the kids going to learn without a teacher? It’s not like Daisy can take over for you, and I’m sure parents won’t be so happy that they’re by themselves for an hour.”

“They won’t be by themselves, and Daisy won’t take over for me. For the past few months, I’ve seen the need for hiring a teacher. More people are interested in having classes but can’t because we don’t have any places left in the classes I teach, so hiring a teacher will mean that there will be more space and more classes,” Natasha explained.

“And who are you possibly going to hire?”

“Well, Maria, I’ve already hired someone. Her name is Yelena Belova. She was my childhood best friend. I recently got in touch with her again, and it turns out she just moved to New York and is looking for a job. I offered her the position since she’s a great ballerina, and she took it. I was going to let her sit in and watch my classes this next week so that she’d know how I do it, but she really doesn’t need any form of training. I’ll send her a text and ask her if she can take over for me for the week and give her the information of what each class is working on.”

Maria was stunned at how well planned Natasha had everything. “Ok, seems like you’ve got everything under control. Does Steve know you hired her?”

Natasha looked at her unamused. “Of course I told Steve. He’s already met her as well. She came over for dinner last week. Livy hit it off pretty well with her and immediately started calling her “auntie” even though Steve and I would tell her not to, but Yelena said she didn’t mind.”

“That’s nice that Livy got comfortable with her quickly.”

Natasha nodded with a small smile on her face.

Maria took it as a sign to continue with the previous topic. “So, are you ready to talk to Steve now?”

Natasha’s face fell a little. “I don’t know, Maria. He’s really sweet and all, but I know that once he starts telling me that everything will be fine, not to worry and that he’ll be by my side I’m going to start crying.”

Maria sighed. “Natasha, it’s ok to cry. It’s ok to show your vulnerability from time to time, and there’s no better person to be vulnerable around than Steve. I know I’m not one to show my vulnerability either, but when I need to cry, I do it, and I feel better afterward. I’m sure having someone with you in your weakest points is better than being by yourself. And Steve won’t see you as weak. You’re one of the strongest women he knows, so don’t think that he’ll see you as a weak person for crying.”

Natasha’s eyesight veered towards the floor. She stayed silent for several moments, pondering what Maria had just told her. Finally, she looked up at Maria and meekly said, “Ok, you can tell him to come in. I’m ready to see him.”

Maria rubbed Natasha’s back a little before getting up. “I’ll send him up in a few minutes.”

Natasha smiled a little and nodded.

Maria left the room and went downstairs. She walked to Steve’s office and noticed the door was opened. She stuck her head in and saw Steve sitting on his chair blankly staring at the computer screen. She lightly rapped on the door, and immediately, Steve shot up from his seat. “How is she?” was the first thing that came out of his mouth.

“Well, she’s in a better state than when I went in,” Maria told him seriously.

“I sense there’s a ‘but,’” Steve said a bit worriedly.

“Yeah, there kind of is. She will need time to be 100% herself again, but with the help of the right people, that won’t take so long.”

“Can I go see her?”

Maria smiled, “Yes, she wants to see you now.”

Steve darted out the door and up the stairs forgetting to thank Maria for helping him out. He slowed down his pace as he approached the door to their bedroom. He all of a sudden got a little nervous and started thinking that she could have changed her mind while Maria went to get him, and she would no longer want to see him. He hesitantly knocked on the door to announce his presence before slowly opening the door. His worried thoughts were quickly put to rest when he saw the small smile that she gave him. He still felt he needed to be cautious in order not to get her angry or upset. “Hey,” he said.

“Hey,” she answered him.

“How are you?”

“Better now that I talked with Maria, but I’m still a bit shook.”

“That’s understandable.”

“Come sit with me,” Natasha beckoned.

Steve smiled and sat on the bed next to her.

“I want to thank you for giving me space. Also, thank you for calling Maria even though I didn’t want to see her at first, but you knew it would make me feel better.”

“Anything for my best girl.”

Tears started forming in Natasha’s eyes, and they didn’t go unnoticed by Steve. “Hey, it’s all right. I’m here. You don’t have to cry,” he told her quietly as he wrapped his arms around her.

Natasha sniffled. “I told Maria that it would be better to leave Livy and you, but now, I see how wrong I was to even think it. You’re too good to me. What did I ever do to deserve you?”

“You were yourself around me, and that was enough for me to fall in love with you. Treating Livy like a daughter from the start was also a big plus.”

“Well, she is very lovable.”

“That she is. I have the two most lovable girls in the world,” Steve said happily.

A moment of silence came between the couple before Natasha started speaking again. “I’m going to take a week off from teaching and have Yelena take over for me this week.”

“Are you sure she’ll be able to? You still haven’t shown her how you teach your classes.”

“I’m sure she will be able to. She’s just as good a ballerina as I am, so she won’t have any problems with it.”

“And what are you going to do during the week?” Steve asked innocently.

Natasha’s smile turned into a smirk. “I have a few ideas up my sleeve.”

“Oh, yeah?” Steve asked with raised eyebrows. “Does any of it have to do with this?” He grabbed her chin, brought her face towards him, and kissed her lips sweetly before deepening it.

Natasha moaned quietly.

Steve pulled away for some air. “I’m pretty sure it’s safe to say that it does.”

Natasha nodded a little.

“Well, before we do, I have some things to say. First, I’m here for you, and I won’t let anyone hurt you. Second, I love you so much and really want to take you, but I’m pretty sure Maria is still here, so I need to go tell her everything is fine for the moment and thank her. I’ll be right back.”

Steve quickly went downstairs and found Maria sitting in the living room talking on the phone. He decided to just stand at the entrance and wait until she was done. Maria noticed he was standing in the entrance waiting for her, so she put the call on hold. “I need to get back to work, Steve. I hope everything is all right between Natasha and you.”

“Yes, it is. I came down to tell you that.”

“Good. Call me if you need anything, and I’ll be right over or send Clint.”

“I will, Maria. Thank you so much for coming and talking to her.”

“Ahh, it was nothing. I knew she would need someone to ground her again, and I knew that she probably wouldn’t let you do it this time.”

“You were right about that.”

“Well, I’d better get going. Duty calls,” Maria said as she stood up from the couch. Steve followed her to the door where they said goodbye. He stayed there watching as she got into the police car and drive off. Once he saw the car turn the corner, he shut the door and hurriedly ran upstairs to the bedroom where the love of his life awaited him. Despite the awful turn of events early on in the day, the two lovers managed to forget what had happened and focused solely on each other making the rest of the day a blissful one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, so, I know I said I would post during Christmas vacation, but I was so busy that I didn't have time to write. After that, I had writer's block and was writing a little bit of the chapter at a time. I then got busy with exams and packing to move to the US that it has been really hard to find a time to write. While absent, I did plan out the story a little more, and I'm convinced that I have a good plot now. I'll be adding more characters in the story as it goes along. I'll only say that some are from comic books and some from the MCU and tv series. I'm not sure when I'll be able to post again since I have finals coming up and after that, I have 2 weeks for graduation, but I'll try not to leave you guys as long as I did the last time. That being said, thanks to all my readers who are still with me after a long absence. I hope you enjoyed the chapter!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally, an update! You guys are in for a surprise in this chapter. Enjoy!

On Monday morning, Clint drove to Manhattan to visit his attorney to have him draw up some divorce papers for Natasha and Alexei so that he could go down to the jail where Alexei was being held prisoner and have him sign them as soon as possible. He hated the idea of Natasha still being legally married to that bastard and wanted to put an end to it once and for all.

The law firm was quite busy when Clint walked in. He was a bit surprised by it since he had never before seen it as busy as it currently was. He walked up to the front desk. The lady there was someone he didn’t recognize, so he started wondering if he was actually at the correct location. “Excuse me, ma’am, is this Rosenburg Law Firm?”

“Yes, sir, this is. Do you have an appointment for today?” the lady asked as she started pulling her appointment schedule towards her.

“I actually don’t, but--”

“Then, I’ll have to ask you to give me your name and have a seat over in the waiting room until I have an open spot for you,” she interrupted.

Clint sighed. “I didn’t want to do this, but since I haven’t seen you before, I guess I’ll have to.” He pulled out his detective badge. “My name is Detective Clint Barton, and I’m here to see Mr. Thomas Richardson on official police business.”

“Oh, pardon me, I didn’t realize you were from the police department.”

“It’s all right. I don’t exactly dress the part all the time. So, may I go see Mr. Richardson?”

“About that, Mr. Richardson is on vacation right now. He’s not expected to be back until the beginning of July.”

Clint stood there dumbfounded. “But I need his assistance today! Can’t you give him a call and set up a video conference? Tell him it’s an emergency.”

“I’m sorry, Detective, but he specifically said he didn’t want any work-related calls while he’s there.”

Clint sighed in resignation. He was about to leave when an idea struck him. “Who’s your best attorney on hand now?”

“That would be Mrs. Barbara Hunter.”

“Is it possible to see her today?”

“Well, as you’re on official police business, I’ll let her know that she has a switch in her schedule. Please, sit in the waiting room while I inform her. I’ll let you know when she’s ready to take you.”

“Thank you, Miss…”

“Mrs. Reynolds. I’m the new secretary here.”

“Right, it’s nice to meet you, Mrs. Reynolds. You’ll see that I come here often. My go-to attorney is Mr. Richardson whenever I need his assistance, but I guess I’ll have to use this Mrs. Hunter today.”

“I see. I’m very sorry for that inconvenience, but you’ll find Mrs. Hunter to be an excellent attorney. She takes her job very seriously, and she’s only worked here a few weeks and is a newlywed. The superiors are very impressed with her work.”

“That’s good to know. Well, I’ll go take a seat in the waiting room and let you do your work.”

“All right, Detective. I’ll call you in a few minutes.”

Sure enough, about 5 minutes later, Mrs. Reynolds called his name. “You can go right on in and see her. There’s no need to knock. Her office is down the left corridor, last door on the right,” she informed when Clint was back at the front desk.

“Thank you so much for everything.”

“No problem. Now, go before her patience starts to run out.”

Clint walked in the direction he was indicated to go and quickly got to Mrs. Hunter's office. The door was slightly opened, so he pushed it a little.

"I don't have all day," a very familiar female voice said from inside.

Clint slipped in and closed the door behind him. The woman's back was facing him as she was looking through a law book. Before he could say something, she started speaking again.

"What's so important, Detective, that I had to push back all my appointments for today just to attend to your shenanigans," she said in a bit of an annoyed tone. As she said that, she put the book away and turned around to face Clint. Once their eyes met, they both got surprised. "Clinton?"

"Bobbie? Is that really you?" Clint inquired.

Gathering her composure, she answered, "Yes, it is. Now, you came here for business, not for a friendly catch up. Leave the past in the past, ok? Ok, so let's get down to it before we waste more time. What do you want?"

Clint had forgotten how straightforward Bobbie could be but didn't let that distract him from the reason he was there. "I need you to draw up a set of divorce papers and then…"

"Divorce papers? Seriously, Clint! That's not official police business! You're just wasting my time. You can make an appointment for another day, and we can discuss it then. And I'm sorry Laura and you didn't work out," she said tritely.

"Bobbie, for heaven's sake, can you please let me finish?" 

"I don't want to hear it if it'll waste my time. I have a client to attend to."

"It won't, trust me. The divorce papers aren't for me. They're for one of my clients. You see, she was supposed to have gotten divorced with her husband about two years ago, but it was brought to our attention that their marital status is still marked as 'married' on the system. Her husband mistreated her and is now in jail. She has a boyfriend right now, so her former husband and she need to get divorced as soon as possible."

"Ok, for when do you need the divorce papers?"

"First thing tomorrow morning."

"Clint, the process of divorce takes a long time. I can't draw up the papers in less than 24 hours."

Clint sighed and muttered, "This is why I needed to speak with Mr. Richardson."

"Well, if Mr. Richardson can do it, I suppose I can too," Bobbie answered innocently.

Clint smirked. He knew that would get her to agree to what he was asking her to do. She had always been a competitive woman, especially with men. “You haven’t changed one bit, Bobbi, not one bit.”

Bobbie rolled her eyes. “I’m only doing you this one favor, and that’s it.”

“Well, about that…” Clint began.

“What now?” Bobbie asked unamused.

“I need you to go with me to the jail tomorrow with the papers. He needs to see that it’s real and has to sign it this time,” Clint explained quickly.

“Nope, nope, nope, there’s no way I’m going to do that, Clint. I won’t go to any jail with you. You can take someone else.”

“Ok, if that’s what you want, I have no further business with you. Also, you can forget about drawing up those divorce papers. I’ll ask the person who is willing to go down to the jail with me tomorrow to draw them up for me.” Clint stood up. “I’ll go now to not waste anymore of both of our times.” He turned to leave.

“Wait! You’re not going anywhere, Clinton.”

He turned to face her. “Look, we both know we’re wasting time, so I’ll just ask Mrs. Reynolds in the front desk to direct me to another attorney that will be willing to help me out, and you can go on ahead and attend your next client.” He turned again and started walking towards the door.

“Fine! I’ll do it,” she agreed and breathed a frustrated sigh.

Clint stopped and turned around again. “Bobbi, I need someone who will be willing to go through the whole process. It should be quick, but if there are any complications, I need that person to stick to it until it’s finalized. Seeing as you’ve been saying no to everything I say and only agree when I tell you I’ll find someone else to do it, I don’t think you’re the right person for the job.”

“To tell you the truth, I was disagreeing because I don’t want to work alongside you, but I did say to leave the past in the past, so I’ll do it. I promise not to give you any more problems with my disagreeing.”

“All right, but you better stick through the whole process. I’ll come by tomorrow at 7:00 and pick you up. Once we’re at the jail, we’ll be led to an interrogation room. We’ll both go in because I’ll need to uncuff his hand that he uses to write with to sign the papers. All you’ll have to do is explain everything that you need to and have him sign. Also, make sure you tell him he has no option but to sign because this was supposed to be done two years ago, and Natasha needs him to sign it this time.”

“Don’t worry, Clint, I’ll take care of it. You just have to stand there quietly through the whole process.”

Clint rolled his eyes. “You still like taking matters into your own hands, don’t you?”

“Of course, I do. What fun is there in letting someone else handle it? You should know that it’s not so fun since you are, after all, a detective. And I can’t let you have all the fun either.”

“You’ve got a point. I’ll let you do your job as long as you let me do mine. Deal?” he asked as he extended out his hand.

“You’ve got yourself a deal, Barton,” Bobbi replied as she shook his hand.

“All right, I’ll let you get back to your work, and I’ll go do mine. See you tomorrow at 7.”

“Sure thing. I’ll be ready.” Bobbi walked Clint to the door.

Before Clint walked out, he said in a genuine tone, “It was really nice to see you again, Bobbi. And congratulations on your marriage. You ended up marrying Lance, right?”

Bobbi smiled a bit as she answered, “Yes, I did. I really don’t know why it took us so long, but we finally got married, and I couldn’t be happier.”

“I’m happy for you as well. Lance is a really good guy, and I wouldn’t have wanted anyone else but him to marry you.”

Bobbi sighed happily. I think your family should get together with us sometime. Maybe when all of this ordeal is over.

“I’m sure Laura would like to see you again, and it would be nice to see Lance.”

“Hmm, are you sure Laura would be ok with it?” Bobbi smirked. “Last time I saw her, she…”

“She’s over it. She learned to put the past behind her,” Clint cut in.

“Good, but tell her anyway before we plan something to make sure she is 100% ok with it.”

“I will, don’t worry. Well, I’ll go now. Have a good day! See you tomorrow.”

“Thanks, have a good day as well.”

 

**_Later that day…_ **

“Laura! I’m home!” Clint shouted when he walked in the door to his house.

“I’m in the kitchen!” was the response he got from her.

He walked into the kitchen. “You will never guess who I ran into today!”

Laura stopped chopping vegetables and looked at Clint. She smiled, “Well, aren’t you going to tell me? You said I’d never guess who it is.”

“Well, you know how I went to see Tom so that he could get me those divorce papers I need for tomorrow?”

Laura nodded.

“He wasn’t there today because he’s on vacation, so the secretary sent me with the best attorney that was available. She told me her name was Mrs. Barbara Hunter. I walk into Mrs. Hunter’s office, and when she turns, I’m face to face with Bobbie Morse! What are the odds that I would run into her today?”

Once Laura heard that, she went back to chopping the vegetables, “Well, it is very much a coincidence. I thought she had moved out of state.”

“I did too, but now, she’s back and married to Lance Hunter! You do remember him, right?”

“Yes, I do. He always had an eye for her, but she was too blind to notice it for a time.”

“Come on, I thought you had surpassed that already,” he said as he got closer to her.

Laura sighed and stopped chopping, “I have, just the memory came back once you mentioned her name, but I’ve gotten past it, I promise.”

“Come here,” he said as he pulled her into a hug. “We both agreed that the past would remain in the past, so you have nothing to worry about. Besides, like I said, she’s married now. The way she looked when talking about Lance made me see she’s head over heels for the guy.”

Laura snuggled herself in his hold. “They always did make a great couple. I think most people at school saw it. I’m glad that they’re together now.”

“Me too, and I’m glad we’re together and have 3 amazing children that take after their mama.”

Laura looked up at his face. “They also take after you, sweetie.” She slightly tiptoed to kiss Clint’s lips.

After the kiss, Clint kept talking, “Bobbi wants to see you again. Actually, she wants us and them to get together some time after everything with Natasha’s situation settles down. Would that be ok with you?”

“Yes, sweetie, it’s fine. It’ll be nice to catch up,” Laura answered.

“Ok, I’ll let her know tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow?” Laura asked with a raised eyebrow.

“I need to pick up the divorce papers, and she actually has to go down with me since she’s the attorney. I’m just going to make sure Alexei signs the papers.”

“Ok, I guess she is the attorney you’re working with so that does make sense.”

“Yep,” Clint affirmed before he switched the subject. “Did you see Tasha when you dropped off Magpie?”

“Unfortunately, I didn’t. Steve was the one who answered the door. He invited me in to talk a little about her. He says she’s doing better. Maria went to see her yesterday upon Steve’s request, and it seems it helped.”

“Ah, yeah, Maria did briefly mention that to me today.”

“Anyway, Steve said that she’s going to take a week off from work and have Yelena take over for the week. Steve is going to work from home to keep an eye on her, and he made arrangements with Wanda and Bucky to take care of Livy during the day and drop her off before supper. That’s basically all we talked about because I had to go see Pepper before coming back here,” she concluded.

“Well, that’s good that Tasha decided to take it slow and lie low for a little bit. I’m sure this whole thing will be done soon, and everything will go back to normal,” Clint said confidently.

“I sure hope you’re right. I’d hate to see the three of them go through something bad. I don’t know if Nat will be able to hold herself together if something really bad does happen. I mean, you did see the way she looked before she left yesterday, right? She was starting to build that wall around herself again. If she does that, she’ll run away from Steve, I know it.”

“Hey, let’s focus on the positive outcome, ok? There’s no need to worry about the negative.”

“Yeah, you’re right. Fretting over something that’s most likely not going to happen isn’t right,” agreed Laura.

With that, the subject was dropped. Little did they know about the strong storm that was brewing and heading to the lives of Steve and Natasha.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What do you guys think is going to happen next? Please leave your thoughts in the comments.
> 
> So, I'm sorry for not updating in a long time again. I was super busy finishing up with high school, preparing to move, and preparing for graduation. Finally, that's all over now, so I have spare time on my hands to write. As long as I don't get writer's block, I'll be posting more often. I won't say how often though because I really don't know, but I hope to write several more chapters before I start college. Thanks for patiently waiting for my updates and sticking by me! I really appreciate it!


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: This chapter has a small suggestive part at the end.  
> Also, it has a swear word. If you've been reading my work for some time now, you'll know that I don't swear in my stories because I don't like it, but I had to this time since there was no better word.

**_Two years ago in Székesfehérvár, Hungary…_ **

A single light was shining in an old, dark apartment. The source of that light came from a computer screen. Ophelia Sarkissian was searching through American news articles trying to find something about two people, Alexei Shostakov and Natalia Romanova. For the past year, she had searched the news every night to find them, and each night deemed unsuccessful. Tonight was no different. She was about to give up when she spotted a headline out of the corner of her eyes.

**DRUG DEALER AND WOMAN ABUSER ALEXEI SHOSTAKOV SENT TO PRISON**

She smirked as she opened the article. “Finally,” she said to herself, “I found something at long last. You guys couldn’t stay hidden for long, could ya?” She started reading the article. What she found was a bit surprising. According to the article, Natalia, or Natasha as the article states, was the one to turn him in with the help of an anonymous person. “Hmm, why would Natalia, Alexei’s own wife, turn him in? I thought she loved him. Maybe the greedy bitch wanted all of his money for herself. Yes, that would explain it. Oh, my darling, if you would have married me, you wouldn’t be in this mess now, but I’ll fix it. I promise I’ll get you out of jail, and we’ll have our revenge! For now, it’s time to pack and fly to New York.”

During the next few weeks after her arrival in NYC, she became familiar with the area. By the end of the month, she knew where all the perfect hiding places were throughout the five boroughs, yet she hadn’t heard anything else about Natasha. Ophelia knew that it was most Natasha was lying low for now until everything settled down concerning the whole situation that made Alexei end up in jail. 

It wasn’t until the next year that she finally saw Natasha come out of her hiding spot, and that’s where the spying began. She kept watch on Natasha and followed her at a safe distance knowing all too well that Natasha could sense if someone was following or watching her. Nothing really drastic happened, but after New Year’s, she noticed a blonde man and a young girl that looked so much like the man started hanging out with her. Of course, she knew that the little girl attended the ballet class and would sometimes spend time with Natasha, but this was a whole new level. “This is absolutely perfect,” Ophelia mumbled one day after seeing the man share several kisses with Natasha before she went into her apartment for the night. “She doesn’t have feelings for Alexei anymore.” But then, she had a disturbing thought, “What if Alexei is still obsessed with her?” She shook her head, “Well, if that’s the case, he’ll do anything to get her back, so I’ll just have to come up with a way to get rid of her.” Her lips curled upward into a smirk, “Oh, Natalia, you’re going to get what you deserve for stealing my best friend, my academic position, and my love. You’re going to wish you were never born.”

The months passed, and Ophelia continued to observe Natasha, but she also started observing the man who she came to find out was named Steve Rogers. As she watched them and started noticing the patterns of their daily life, she began to devise her plan. Finally, she finished with the planning, so all that was left to do was to put it into action.

 

****_**Date: Present Day, Monday**    
_ **_Time: 3:00 A.M.  
_ ** ******_Location: Somewhere in upstate New York at a prison house_**

In the stillness of the early hours of the morning, a figure walked silently on the rooftop of the prison Alexei was being held. This person had managed to get past all the security guards and surveillance cameras so far and planned to keep it that way. She only had one goal—visit Alexei in his cell. Twenty minutes later, after battling a few more security guards, she was in. She crept around his small cell and watched as he slept. Knowing that Alexei was the type of person to wake up if he felt someone’s presence, she waited in the shadows. She didn’t have to wait long before he bolted upright in bed and started looking around. “I’m glad you have the same habit of waking up when someone is watching you,” she said, her voice dark and quiet.

“Who and where are you?” Alexei asked with a tinge of fear in his voice.

The woman snickered. “Is that fear I hear in your voice, Alexei?”

Alexei sat up straighter in the bed. “Who are you?” he demanded.

“Ohh, Alexei, I’m hurt that you don’t recognize me by just the sound of my voice,” she said with mock sadness. “Do I really have to come closer so that you can see who I am?”

“That would be helpful, yes,” answered Alexei with more confidence.

The woman stepped out of the darkest corner of the cell she was in and into a lighter section. “Is that any better?”

Alexei couldn’t believe his eyes. “Ophelia? What are you doing here?”

She smirked, “Well, to help you out, my dear!”

“Oh, good! Seems like my men aren’t doing a good job at it. I’m glad you came. So, how do we get out, and how can we reach the rest of my gang that’s in jail?” he asked eagerly. He was already out of bed and searching for his clothes.

“Not so fast, Alexei. I’m not here to get you out just yet,” her authoritative voice said.

“What do you mean?” he asked as he slowly got up.

“Later today, an attorney and a detective you have no doubt already met are going to come visit you. They’re going to force you to sign divorce papers since they found out that you didn’t sign them the last time. I need you to sign them but not right away. Give them a few problems first, and then “reluctantly” sign them. Once you’ve done that, I’ll come get you out in, oh, I don’t know, maybe two days. We’ll get the rest of your gang out as well. After we’re out, I’ll take you guys back to my hiding spot. There, you can contact the rest of your men that are running away from the police. They’ll be safe there.”

“And how do you know all that?”

“Let’s just say I’ve been keeping an eye on your precious Natalia ever since you were put into jail. I know her daily routines, where she works, where she goes to hang out, and where she’s currently living. Also, I might have been the one who informed the police about the two of you still being married, but of course, in an anonymous way.”

“Why did you do that? There’s a reason I never signed the papers in the first place!”

“Well, I have been wanting to get revenge on Natalia for taking away my best friend and always besting me since she got to that orphanage we grew up in. I know you want revenge on her too. I’m just giving you another reason to get that revenge. But I’ll make sure you get her back, don’t you worry about that. I’ve got it all under control. You just have to do everything I say, and once we finish getting our revenge, she’s yours for the keeping.”

“Promise?”

“Of course, darling, I promise,” she said in too sweet of a tone.

“You better be telling the truth, Ophelia. If there’s one thing I remember from our time together while growing up, it’s that deceiving people is like second nature to you.”

Ophelia chuckled, “You know me so well, Alexei. But I do intend to keep my promise, truly.” She moved closer to Alexei. “In the meantime, if you ever want to have fun, I’ll always be available,” she whispered seductively into his ear. 

“I may just take you up on that offer,” Alexei said, his voice laced with lust.

“Very well, I’m counting on it.” She moved closer and closed the distance between them and kissed his lips. Soon, she pulled away, “Remember, sign the papers, and I’ll be here in two days to get you and your gang out.” With that, she slipped out of the cell, locked the door, set the keys on the table in the entrance of that section of the jail, and disappeared, leaving through the nearest exit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As you see, I decided to add another character to my story. Since I needed an antagonist other than Alexei, I decided to do some research on the Marvel comics and decided to choose Ophelia. I don't know much about her, so I made up her own background to fit my story.

**Author's Note:**

> Well, I finally took out the first chapter of this story. I have had writer's block, and I honestly didn't know what was a good place to end the first chapter since I realized that if I didn't, it would be too long. I also had troubles coming up with a name for my series, and I finally got the perfect name for it. I have named the series Enduring Love. The other thing is that I've been busy with school, and since I have my Thanksgiving break tomorrow and Friday, I decided to go on ahead and keep working on this story.
> 
> I hope you enjoyed the first chapter. I'll try to update soon, but I won't make any promises since I'm not totally over the writer's block and I'll be a bit busy again after my break, but hopefully, I won't leave you guys waiting too long.


End file.
